1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to applying a liquid to a surface along a desired path.
2. Description of Prior Art
There is often a need to paint various types of surfaces such as parking lots, athletic fields and the like. Various methods have been employed to accomplish these tasks.
In the past, lime or chalk lines were used to mark the boundaries on athletic fields used for playing such sports as baseball, soccer, rugby or football. The use of such lining techniques has several disadvantages such as having to frequently re-lime or re-chalk the fields due to bad weather conditions or players erasing the marks by sliding and running over them. One remedy is to use paint instead of chalk to more effectively mark playing fields.
There are a number of field marking machines that now utilize paint. Examples are the Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker, Line King Athletic Field Marker, and Allstate Athletic's Supply's Jiffy Stripers. However, these machines have several disadvantages namely, their high prices (some models over $1000). Other disadvantages are that these field markers often are heavy, bulky, and difficult to store or transport.
Motorized paint stripers, like Neuling's U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,534, have other disadvantages. They require the use of fossil fuels, which are harmful to the environment. With other motorized ride-on stripers, the operator's view of the paint stripe is limited. Another disadvantage of the existing paint stripers are that they are made from specialized parts that require costly design and tooling and are not readily available.